Opposition wants motion to amend Article 1(2) to be withdrawn

PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya's move to amend only Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution in the Dewan Rakyat will be "meaningless" in empowering the positions of Sabah and Sarawak.

Declaring this, opposition lawmakers from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Bersatu Sabah (GBS) and BN demanded that the government retract the motion and refer it to the Parliamentary Select Committee for a thorough study.

Sabah's Maximus Ongkili (GBS-Kota Marudu) and Sarawak's Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar (GPS-Santubong) raised the matter on behalf of their coalitions.

"What's inside (this constitutional amendment)? There is nothing," Wan Junaidi said.

He and the other opposition MPs are not happy that the constitutional amendment bill was merely suggesting a new clause that specifies all the constituent states of the federation.

Wan Junaidi (photo) further said the lawmakers were not given a 24-hour notice on the tabling of the constitutional amendment bill.

"And the steering committee of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 still continues to sit (to discuss ways to restore the status of Sabah and Sarawak), so it is good for us to first see what is this outcome," he said.

Concurring, Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) said it is better to move a motion to amend the Federal Constitution in a holistic manner, instead of doing it piecemeal.

Opposition leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera) said the government should include the move on the constitutional amendment in accordance with the content of MA63.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof ruled that the House was not wrong in moving the motion for the constitutional amendment as the MPs have been informed of it one day before.

De facto Law Minister Liew Vui Keong then tabled the motion to amend the constitution for its first reading in the House.

Liew said the second reading would be held in the current Dewan Rakyat session, which ends on April 11.

The opposition lawmakers then stood up together to show they wanted the motion to amend the constitution to be referred to the Parliamentary Select Committee.

"In this case, you have to put up a written request," Ariff said.

"(We have), the motion will be tabled by Santubong (MP Wan Junaidi)," Bung replied.  - Mkini